Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" p! I6 e1 ^# S' X: u4 {9 w, J. B> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 y6 @- T8 h' W/ {; M9 h> same choice?
>
7 F9 e; n" Q8 o1 y1 l  e> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, S% i$ |) i" P! C' V: D" \* j> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
* e- f8 }7 g* U- g+ S& Q: n6 a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
6 p# ~$ f8 y# F> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 Z: Q% ^; i3 v+ ~" W1 s# J> The audience was stilled by the query.
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/ u: N7 f1 f4 ?# f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 E+ N) E- c) }' f! Z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ ]/ C4 Z3 Q/ v/ ?) E  I* B% W> treat that child.'
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- P8 r! U8 e* n  ^; S8 n& o> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! b8 [1 x, @* r9 d5 f* r% }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
7 [4 [  Y" B* Q1 t5 V4 J( J8 t$ f, ]; \> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
8 i" |8 i9 N: @3 s> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
( _0 e! K, u/ V4 w5 p, D, {> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 u' W' E( u8 @> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
" V! O0 E- X! R/ m9 I( q: ^> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
) U2 h: i' R- \3 v& H  b> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 P  Z1 i! A/ Q- r/ S5 R6 ^' ^9 o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) y2 x! o* p% D5 ^6 \> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
/ D" `! F' t' _$ f' K9 Q> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 Y3 p" a  }% q" ^% k> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 }, c: k7 K% }6 A5 j; `' n> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 u, `% m, o# ^* }2 P# d% y: h> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* k( g1 e6 o8 p- p: M> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 b# f) ], j% ]) A> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ k5 O! T9 y/ p) C2 W> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 T' S) c7 p4 E) a> right back to the pitcher.
>
: F, a8 @6 B% ?0 S: |2 @> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# N6 h( g: Y; t# y, W  ^> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. U( ?9 N9 O2 R% y, X' J0 G$ g4 T> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
" n# F6 H$ r; W+ D" M> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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. h$ }; d2 @' @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 |% f' ]' Z3 h' E# H  |' ?> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! \. V& k% N2 d! E$ c> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
1 p9 _# b, P! e. J6 `# q6 o$ W> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- p3 Y7 Y% f" \3 C9 @" Z- L> circled the bases toward home.
>
9 o4 s0 X0 H: ^; S, ?> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 s2 p0 _) \8 y  D: y' c$ \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* ^7 a8 N, z# M' T) V7 c' ^" @> Shay, run to third!'
>
& `: A( t, S* E! _* e> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- {( j3 F  [& j) ?> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
6 H/ p. a3 S- R( e2 |1 E5 h> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) ^" @- K+ c/ K7 C> into this world'.
>
) ~( I% G4 v+ t& u4 j  n5 N> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: p- l6 o+ E( x& t- z7 h$ h0 K> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' o/ J7 ?: Z& s$ Q& g> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 \  X2 `+ c# L0 j8 j- X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 K3 }+ j% R7 U4 r> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  U; q1 P* S; ~, k  Y) G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
( r- s1 X* `2 b+ T; @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ u4 P/ ?5 s: Q! V- q+ X> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' V& O! e% Y3 r> bit colder in the process?
>
& z6 r! K7 O1 a( \> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
- a5 y, _0 S6 t! r* U: L" `8 N# Y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
  \' f2 L4 t* D> May your day, be a Shay Day.